IN THE PROFESSION
The World’ s Busiest Airport Prepares for Its Busiest Summer
CHARLES CULLEN Cullen Law charles @ cullenlawoffice. com
Legal Crossroads
Hartsfield-Jackson is a crossroads for travelers, but also for legal jurisdictions.
It is owned by the City of Atlanta, and the Atlanta Police Department’ s Airport Section serves as the primary law enforcement agency within the terminals, concourses, and parking facilities. However, approximately 80 % of the airport’ s physical footprint lies within Clayton County, meaning the Clayton County Police
Department also conducts operations in and around the airport. The airport’ s sprawl further extends into the adjacent cities of College Park and Hapeville, which can involve officers from those municipalities in airportrelated investigations.
Above the local level, a layered network of federal agencies operates across the airport. The Transportation Security Administration( TSA) screens passengers and baggage. U. S. Customs and Border Protection( CBP) processes international arrivals. The Department of
12 MARCH APRIL 2026